Notice anything different? We have a new logo!There are several questions that we hear pretty regularly, "What does that black egg-shaped tank do?", "As an urban winery, do you also have urban vineyards?", and our favorite "What is the story behind the Monkey and the Fish?". If you've ever wondered where our logo came from, you are not alone!

The story behind our logo is a story of adventure, romance, and wine; so what better way to tell that story than with a monkey and a fish? Anne and Mike started Dashe Cellars the same year that they were married; in 1996. When they helped design the label, Anne said they were like “two creatures going on a journey.” The designer immediately jumped on the fact that Anne came from a fishing village in Brittany, and. Mike, being from Tarzana, CA, was a perfect monkey. Voila! A Monkey and Fish label was born. The rest is history.

Now, after 22 years in business, we wanted to shake things up and update our logo a bit. We hope that you love our new representation of the Monkey and the Fish as much as we do!

News

The full winery experience, without leaving the city. Winemaker Mike Dashe is one of California's most respected makers of Zinfandel: his Dry Creek Valley Zin is regularly shown in wine classes or tastings as the paradigm of the variety from the region. After learning the ropes at prestigious Californian Zinfandel house Ridge, he established his own label and took a risk by making it in one of the first contemporary urban wineries in Oakland. The gamble paid off: Dashe Cellars had become an Oakland destination. At the tasting bar you'll be right in the thick of all the winery activity; just across the room you'll see the cellar crew topping barrels and checking the progress of the wine. During harvest, expect a bit of well-organized mayhem as fruit comes in from all over the state to be transformed into the wine you're drinking. Dashe Cellars is one of California’s most revered Zinfandel producers, but it’s also one of the most affordable.

Lonely Planet's Wine Trails, the first book in Lonely Planet’s “Perfect Weekends” series, introduces the secret gems in well-known regions such as Napa and Sonoma, Tuscany, Burgundy and Rioja, and also explores off-the-beaten-path regions in Georgia, Greece and beyond.

Detailed itineraries recommending the most interesting wineries and the best places to stay and eat in 52 wine regions near major cities make this perfect for travel enthusiasts who enjoy wine. Winemakers offer personal insights into what wines to taste and why they’re special and help you to understand a place, its people and their traditions through the wine that is made there. Gorgeous photography, maps and in-the-know authors complete the package.

10 RED WINES FOR FALL THAT ARE THE PERFECT TRANSITION FROM SUMMER ROSE

BY LIZZY ROSENBERG

For many, many years, I limited my wine of choice to whites and rosés. As much as I wanted to classily sip red wine like Cersei Lannister or Olivia Pope, I just could not get myself to enjoy it no matter how hard I tried. However, I wanted to start drinking more seasonally appropriate wines. I transitioned into opting for reds in the fall and winter by drinking lighter and fruitier reds. Now, I've learned to love them all. If you'd also like to switch from pink, summery sips to bolder reds, these 10 red wines for fall are the perfect transition.

Most red wines are deeper and richer than rosé wines, so you can opt for a lighter red to ease in. If you want to get technical, Merriam-Webster defines rosé as "a light pink table wine made from red grapes by removing the skins after fermentation has begun." As for what makes a red wine, the online dictionary calls it "a wine with a predominantly red color derived during fermentation from the natural pigment in the skins of dark-colored grapes." So, it makes sense that moving from rosé to red is a natural transition. To help you, here are a some red wines that are perfect for welcoming fall.

Thank you to sommelier and friend of the winery, Mark Ellenbogen, for finding this SF Chronicle article from 2008 in the archives!

If you would like to taste a wine from our "Les Enfants Terribles" line, Click Here to visit our online store and pick up a bottle!

VINTNERS SAY LOW SULFER CAN RESULT IN PURER FLAVORS

BY WOLFGANG WEBER

PHOTO BY CRAIG LEE/THE CHRONICLE

Contemporary attitudes toward the use of SO2 are changing, most notably in Europe, but also increasingly in the United States. Indeed, working with little to almost zero SO2 is one of the rallying points of the natural wine movement, a blanket term used to describe wines made according to a philosophy of minimal intervention in the vineyard and cellar.

In recent years in both France and Italy, winemakers such as Marcel Lapierre in Morgon and Stanislao Radikon in Friuli have pushed the envelope on SO2 use, simultaneously embracing a traditional approach — no additions of sulfur — while at the same time eagerly cultivating the market for such wines in Europe and the United States with a modernist fervor. As with organics and biodynamics before it, wine made without SO2 may be the next trend in the current green craze.

Thank you to the judges who ranked our 2015 'The Comet' as the Best Red Blend at the Wine & Spirits San Diego International Wine Competition. To be recognized out of the 1,400 wines submitted is absolutely wonderful.

Made from half Zinfandel, 40% Petite Sirah and 10% Carignan, given minimal exposure to new oak, opting instead for older French barrels, this wine is dark in color and bright and bubbly in acidity. Cherry and vanilla flavors complement one another alongside a dusty texture and finishing hit of black pepper.

What an honor to be written up in the New York Times! Thank you to Eric Asimov, for recommending our 2016 Grenache in his recent article focusing on California Grenache. If you would like to taste this wine as well, Click Here to visit our online store and pick up a bottle!

YOUR NEXT LESSON: CALIFORNIA GRENACHE

BY ERIC ASIMOV

From amontillado we go to a much more contemporary sort of wine, grenache from California.

Also known as garnacha in Spain, where the grape is thought to have originated, grenache has long been a part of the California equation. It was an essential component in old mixed black heritage vineyards, in which many different black grapes were planted and vinified all together.

Over the last 30 years, I’ve seen a few good examples of California grenache, but it’s really been in the last decade or so that grenache has stepped out in California as an interesting wine with a great potential to evolve.

We agree with Elin McCoy of Bloomberg, our 2016 Grenache from Dry Creek Valley was the best wine for the Thanksgiving table. We also think that it is the best wine for your Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night table! Make everyday Thanksgiving with one of our best food-pairing wines.

When 48 of the West's top wine tasters judge almost 3,000 bottles the results yield terrific insider tips for drinking well. We've mined our Gold Medal winners from this year's Sunset International Wine Competition for trends that will put the best bottles on your table.